The AI-Ready School Library

INCLUDED COURSES

This certification series includes three self-paced courses. Each one builds on the last, and together they provide a complete, school-focused foundation for ethical AI use, instruction, and library leadership.

AI Tools for the Overworked School Librarian

Learn practical, ethical ways to use AI to streamline school library workflows, support instruction, and strengthen communication and outreach, without adding more chaos to your day.

Search with Sense: Teaching Ethical AI Research Skills

Teach students to use AI as a research support tool, not a shortcut. You’ll build credibility checkpoints, citation guidance, and lesson-ready materials that reinforce strong research habits in an AI-influenced landscape.

Teaching AI Literacy in Schools

Build a student-friendly foundation for what AI is, how it works, and how to evaluate it. You’ll learn how to teach prompting, evaluation, bias and hallucinations, privacy, and the societal impacts students need to understand.

Elissa Malespina, B.C.A.S.E., Teacher Librarian in New Jersey and Author of The AI School Librarians Newsletter

Elissa Malespina is an award-winning school librarian, educational consultant, former school board member, and author who specializes in helping educators and librarians integrate AI into teaching and learning. She is the author of AI in the Library: Strategies, Tools and Ethics for Today’s Schools and writes The AI School Librarians Newsletter, a Substack publication focused on practical AI tools, ethical guidance, and instructional strategies. Outside of her professional work, she is a proud mom, wife, and a fierce advocate for intellectual freedom and educational equity.

Dr. Christopher Harris, Director, Libraries and Digital Learning Services for Genesee Valley BOCES; Senior Fellow, American Library Association

Dr. Christopher Harris is the Director of the School Library System for Genesee Valley BOCES, an educational agency supporting 22 small, rural districts in Western New York. He participated in the first American Library Association Emerging Leaders program in 2007 and was named a Library Journal Mover & Shaker in 2008. In 2022, Dr. Harris was honored as a Senior Fellow of the American Library Association. He earned his Ed.D. from St. John Fisher University in 2018 for research focused on helping teachers become confident teaching computer science. Dr. Harris leads the LibraryReady.AI PK–12 curriculum project and is a frequent keynote speaker and consultant on library technologies, including artificial intelligence.

Dr. Rachelle Dené Poth, JD, Spanish and STEAM Educator, Consultant, Attorney, Author

Dr. Rachelle Dené Poth is an edtech consultant, presenter, attorney, author, and Spanish and STEAM educator. She holds a Juris Doctor degree from Duquesne University School of Law and a Doctorate in Instructional Technology. Rachelle specializes in artificial intelligence, AI and the law, AI and the environment, cybersecurity, and STEM, and has more than seven years of experience teaching and presenting on AI in classrooms and professional settings worldwide. She is an ISTE-certified educator and recipient of the ISTE Making IT Happen Award, as well as multiple presidential gold and silver awards for volunteer service. Rachelle is the author of ten books, including What the Tech? An Educator’s Guide to AI, AR/VR, the Metaverse and More! and How to Teach AI: Weaving Strategies and Activities Into Any Content Area, and is a frequent blogger, podcaster, and webinar facilitator.

AI isn’t something school libraries can ignore or “wait out.” Students are already using it, often without guidance, and schools are still figuring out what expectations, policies, and instruction should look like. For many librarians, that leaves you in a difficult position: you’re expected to lead, but you’re also still learning what responsible, practical use actually looks like in your setting.

This certification series is designed to help you close that gap in a way that’s grounded in real school library work. Instead of treating AI as a trend or a single tool, you’ll build a working understanding of how it fits into instruction, research, and day-to-day workflows, and what it means to guide students in using it responsibly.

Across a sequence of focused courses, you’ll explore how students are already using AI, where it supports learning, and where it can undermine it. You’ll develop practical strategies for teaching ethical use, supporting research, and helping students think critically about AI-generated content. You’ll also look at how AI can support your own work, from planning and instruction to managing time and workload.

Throughout the series, the focus stays on what is actually workable in a school library context. That means building approaches you can explain to teachers and administrators, adapting ideas to your grade level and community, and creating practices that are sustainable over time, not just interesting in theory.

By the end of the certification, you’ll have a clearer, more confident approach to AI in your library, along with practical strategies you can use right away and a stronger foundation for guiding both students and staff.

SESSIONS AND PRICING

This registration is for the full certification series, which includes all 3 courses. Early bird pricing ends one month before the session deadline.

GROUP OPTIONS

Training a team? Choose the setup that matches how you want to plan and pay:

Group course enrollment: Enroll 3+ staff in this series and save.

Bulk course credits: Prepay once, get the highest per-seat discount on every course, and assign seats later.

Unlimited annual licensing: System-wide access for a year with no per-course approvals.

Request Discounted Group Pricing

Questions? Email groupsales@libraryjournal.com.

SERIES FORMAT

This certification series includes 3 courses designed to build skills progressively across the full program.

All courses are fully self-paced and asynchronous, allowing you to move through the content on your own schedule.

EXPECTED TIME COMMITMENT

If you complete all 3 courses in the series, it will take approximately 48 hours to complete the certification.

ON-DEMAND ACCESS

All materials and recordings included in this certification series will remain accessible for six months following the final course or session in the series.

CREDITS & CERTIFICATION

Complete all 3 courses in this series to earn 48 professional development hours and your AI Literacy in Schools certification from School Library Journal.

ACCESSIBILITY

All video recordings feature auto-captioning. If you require accommodations, please email course-support@libraryjournal.com upon registration and we will make our best efforts to support your needs.

SUPPORT

For technical or course-related support, please contact course-support@libraryjournal.com.